THE COLLINGWOOD Football Club has launched a new Indigenous program called the Barrawarn Program.
The aim of the Barrawarn Program is to empower young Indigenous Australians through employment and educational opportunities.
‘Barrawarn’ is a Woi wurrung (the language of the Wurundjeri people) word for magpie.
Over the next three years the Collingwood Football Club Foundation will provide more than $500,000 in funding to support the Barrawarn Program and a range of new Indigenous traineeships.
Collingwood Football Club President Eddie McGuire said he was proud that the Collingwood Football Club is taking a leading role in supporting young Indigenous people in Victoria.
“The program has been developed with AFL SportsReady, one of our major partners at the Collingwood Football Club Community Centre at Victoria Park. The centre will serve as the program’s headquarters and is a great example of how our club is working with our partners at Victoria Park to make a significant contribution to the community.”
The traineeships will be managed by AFL SportsReady, a leading organisation in the delivery of Indigenous training and employment programs around Australia. The program will provide traineeships in a range of organisations and industries including the sport and recreation, corporate, community and government sectors.
AFL SportsReady Chairman Peter Jackson said "SportsReady's commitment to Indigenous employment is central to who we are as a company. The Collingwood Football Club and Foundation have been fantastic partners and through this program have helped kick start the career of 15 young Indigenous Victorians."
To launch the program Collingwood has awarded 15 full and part time traineeships which will include mentoring support from AFL SportsReady Indigenous mentors and Collingwood players.
